Method of knitting selvaged fabric



April 24, 1962 R. ANKE 3,030,787

I METHOD OF KNITTING SELVAGED FABRIC Filed July 16, 1957 FlE- l WWW \A J I N V EN TOR. Auoafh Ari/(e ATTORNEY.

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United States Patent 3 030 787 METHOD OF KNITIING SELVAGED FABRIC Rudolph Anke, Reading, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 16, 1957, Ser. No. 672,158 5 Claims. (Cl. 66-127) This invention relates to flat knitted fabrics and more particularly to the formation of stripes or bands in such fabrics knitted of yarns of different colors or structural characteristics.

In flat knitted fabric blanks for garments such as for sweaters and the like, the blanks are frequently ornamented by forming recurring stripes or bands from a plurality of yarns of different colors or yarns having different structural characteristics. During the formation of a stripe with one yarn, the yarns for the other stripes are held in inactive position usually at one selvage of the fabric until they are again introduced into the fabric to form a stripe. During this idle period each yarn is floated along the selvage, the float extending unattached outside of the fabric edge between the last stripe formed and the next stripe to be formed by the yarn. At the completion of the blank the selvages thereof are joined to each other by a seam with the floats enclosed within the seam. However, unless great care is taken portions of the floats very often are missed in the seaming operation which causes a defective and unsightly appearance in the completed garment.

Heretofore, in attempts to eliminate these difficulties the yarn floats were trimmed from the blank prior to the seaming operation. This expedient did not adequately solve the problem as it required the services of a special operator and also the use of special equipment thereby greatly increasing the cost of producing the completed garment blanks.

It is an object of the inst-ant invention to provide a garment blank that is not only more economical to produce but which will also overcome the above mentioned and other objections.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the formation of a garment blank, having recurring stripes knitted of a plurality of yarns of different color or structural characteristics, in which each of the yarns not in use during the formation of one of the stripes with another of the yarns is attached at intervals to a selvage of the blank.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method of making flat striped fabric with a plurality of different yarns in which the idled striping yarns are alternately attached at intervals to a selvage of the fabric during the formation of a stripe with another of the striping yarns.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent from the detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, the invention resides in the novel fabric, features of construction, and a method of making the same as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a portion of a fabric having bands or stripes knitted of different yarns and diagrammatically illustrating one method of attaching the idle yarns along the selvage of the fabric according to the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale diagrammatically illustrating the formation of the fabric loops within the dot-and-dash outline A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken transversely through a portion of the loop forming 3,030,787 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 ice means of a conventional full-fashioned knitting machine on which the fabric of FIGS. 1 and 2 is knitted; and

FIGS. 4, S and 6 are enlarged plan views of the loop forming means as viewed from the right of FIG. 3 and diagrammatically illustrating several of the steps followed in attaching an idled yarn to the fabric.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown a portion of a flat knitted fabric 10 having transversely extending bands or stripes 11, 12 and 1S knitted of yarns 16, 17 and 20, respectively, which may be different in color or have other characteristics which change the appearance of the stripes. The stripes 11, 12 and 15 may be of the same width and recur alternately throughout the fabric or the stripes may vary in width and be arranged in different sequences as desired. Also, any desired number of different stripes may be provided, the three shown being merely for purposes of illustration. The yarns 16, 17 and 20 are carried by yarn carriers 21, 22 and 23, respectively, which are reciprocated in a usual manner to feed their respective yarns to needles 30, sinkers 31 and dividers 32 (FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6) these comprising the loop forming elements of a common type full-fashioned knitting machine. The sinkers 31 and dividers 32 alternate with each other and are operated horizontally in the spaces between the needles 30 in timed relation to the vertical movements of the needles to form the yarns into the fabric 10, all in the conventional manner.

As indicated in FIG. l, during the formation of a stripe 111, the carrier 21 is Teciprocated back and forth across the full width of the fabric 10 to feed the yarn 16 to the needles 30. At this time the carriers 22 and 23 for the yarns 17 and 20, respectively, are held in idled position at one selvage of the fabric 10, preferably the right selvage, as shown in FIG. 1. In order to avoid the formation of long unattached lengths or floats of the idled yarns extending along the selvage of the fabric from the last course of one stripe to the first course of the next stripe to be knitted thereby, each of the idled yarns is alternately attached to the selvage at spaced intervals. As indicated in FIG. 2, which shows a portion of the stripe 15 knitted of yarn 20, the yarn 17 is knitted with the yarn 20 in two selvage loops in a course 40 and again in two selvage loops of a fourth course therefrom indicated at 41. The yarn 16 is knitted with the yarn 20 in two selvage loops in a course 42 and again in two selvage loops of a fourth course therefrom indicated at 43. Each of the yarns 16 and 17 is thus alternately interknit at intervals with the yarn 20' forming the stripe 15 until it becomes active to form one of the stripes 1 1 and 12, respectively. The yarn it displaces is then similarly knit in at the selvage at intervals during the formation of the stripe 11 or 12.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, a portion of the stripe 15 within the outline A is illustrated. In the knitting of the portion in accordance with the instant invention, taking course 42 as an example, prior to the forming of this course the carrier 23 has been moved from right to left as indicated by the arrow B (FIG. 4) to feed its yarn 20 to the needles 30 and the needles have formed a plain course 50 across the full width of the fabric 10. When the needles 30 reach their low position, shown in FIG. 3, the carrier 21 is moved from its position over a divider 32 (this divider being omitted in FIGS. 4 to 6 for clarity) at the outside of the right selvage of the fabric 10, as shown in FIG. 4, toward the left to a position over a divider indicated at 33 in FIG. 5 and the carrier 22 remains in its idled position over the outside divider. The needles 30 are then raised in the usual manner to their high position to receive yarn for the next course 42 and sinkers and dividers which have been advanced 3 above the fabric, strip the loops of the course 50 dow the shanks of the needles. During-the next movement of the carrier 23, which is from left to right, the carrier 21, which has been in a position above divider 33 as previously explained, is also-moved in the same direction and the yarns 20 and 16 are simultaneously formed into loops of the course 42 on the two selvage needles 30 as indicated in FIG. 6. After moving the carrier 23 toward the left to form a plain course 51, the carrier 22 is moved toward the left'in the same manner as carrier 21, and as the carrier 26 is moved from left to right to form the course 41, carrier 22 is also moved to the right and yarn 17 is formed'into loops with yarn 20 on the two selvage needles. The yarn 16 is again interknit with the yarn 20 in course 43 four courses from course 42 and yarn 17 is again interknit with yarn 20 four courses from course 41. This procedure'is repeated for each of the carriers whenever in idled position until it again becomes active to form one of the stripes 11, 12 or 15.

It will be obvious that the unattached lengths of yarn extending between the courses 40 and'41 and courses 42 and 43 are quite short and are so arranged within the fabric edge as to be readily enclosed Within the seam when the edges of the fabric are joined to each other, or when the edges of one fabric are joined to the edges of a similar fabric. Further, the idled yarns may be knitted into the selvage of the fabric every second course or at intervals of more than four courses, the criterion being that the length of the unattached yarns should not be such thatthey become unmanageable during the joining of the fabric edges.

It will be understood that the form of fabric specifically shown and described by which the above results are obtained, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A method of knitting a flat selvaged fabric on needles of a knitting machine, said fabric having a plurality ofdifferent transverse portions each of which is comprised of a plurality of successively formed courses of one of a plurality of different yarns, comprising feeding one of said yarns to said needles and forming said one yarn into courses of loops across the full width of one of said portions while holding the feeding means for said other yarns for' said other portions. adjacent one selvage of said one portion, and alternately feeding said other yarns to said needles .and forming said other yarns and said oneyarn-into the same loops of said one portion at said one selvage.

2. A method of, knitting a. flat selvaged'fabric on needlesof a knitting. machine, said" fabric having a plurality of different portions each of which comprises a plurality of successively formed courses of one of a plurality of different yarns, comprising feeding one of said yarns to said needles and forming said one yam into courses of loops of one of said portions, holding the feeding means for the other yarns for said other portions adjacent one selvage of said one portion, and a1- ternately feeding said other yarns for said other portions to said needles and forming said other yarn and said one yarn into the same loops in spaced courses of said one portion at said one selvage.

3. A method of forming a flat selvaged fabric on needles of a knitting machine, said fabric having a plurality of different transverse portions each of which is formed of a plurality of successively knitted courses of loops of one of a plurality of different yarns and said needles movingv vertically to form said yarns into said courses of loops, comprising feeding one of said yarns in one direction to said needles and forming said one yarn into a course of loops of one of said portions while holding the feeding means for the yarns for said other portions adjacent one selvage of said portion, idly moving the feeding means for a second one of said yarns in the same direction as said one yarn was fed when said needles are in a low part of their vertical movement, feeding said one yarn to said needles in a direction opposite to said one direction and simultaneously feeding said second yarn to said needles in the same direction and forming said second yarn into loops of a second course with said one yarn at said one selvage, feeding said one yarn in said first mentioned direction to said needles and forming said one yarn into a third course of loops of said one portion while holding said feeding means for said yarns for said other portions at said one selvage, idly moving the feeding means for a third one of said yarns in the same direction as said one yarn when said needles are in a low part of their vertical movement, feeding said one yarn to said needles in a direction opposite to said one direction and simultaneously feeding said third yarn to said needles in the same direction and forming said third yarn into loops of a fourth course with said one yarn at said one selvage, and alternately idly moving said feeding means for said second and third yarns and forming said second and third yarns into loops with said one yarn in spaced courses throughout said one portion.

4.;A method according to claim 3 comprising the additional steps of feeding and forming a second one of said yarns into courses of loops of a second transverse portion, holding the feeding means for the first and third yarns at one selvage of said second portion, and alternately moving said feeding means for said first and third yarns and forming said first and third yarns into loops with said second yarn in spaced courses throughout said second portion.

5. A method according to claim 5 comprising the additional steps of feeding and forming a third one of said yarns into courses of loops of a third transverse portion, holding the feeding means for the first and second yarns at one selvage of said third portion, and alternately moving said feeding means for said first and second yarns and forming said first and second yarns into loops with said third yarn in spaced courses throughout said third portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,077,557 Gastrich Apr. 20, 1937 2,195,578 Meinig et a1. Apr. 2, 1940 2,234,146 Krenkel Mar. 4, 1941 2,296,590 Badders et al. Sept. 22, 1942 2,580,506 Barsby et al Jan. 1, 1952 2,762,215 Bell' Sept. 11, 1956 2,888,814 Thierfelder June 2, 1959 

